Not all heroes wear capes

Assistant Athletic Trainer Prince Williams helping a women’s soccer player up when she had fallen injured. Attributed to Aaron Meza.

If you’re a student-athlete at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB), chances are you’ve spent more time in the athletic training room than you’d like to admit. That said, you’re probably forever indebted to the work Head Athletic Trainer Mike Paddack and Assistant Athletic Trainers Prince Williams and Amanda Jennings have done for you.

Mike Paddack has been the Head Athletic Trainer at CSUMB since 2013. He’s very passionate about his job. He loves being able to see the start and end of a process. On the daily, he sees athletes get hurt; however, he also sees them get cleared to play again. He finds each day rewarding because he constantly sees what’s taken away from athletes, and he gets to be a small part of the process that gets them back to doing what they love.

“I’d say Mike is a very caring trainer. He works hard to meet the needs of the athletes and likes to stay very involved in injuries. His personality is infectious, and he has a big heart. As far as his abilities, he’s very knowledgeable, and if he’s stumped he’s not afraid to reach out to other resources to get down to the issue and do what is best for the athlete,” said Alyssa Noh, a student soccer player at CSUMB.

Paddack encourages students interested in: athletic training, strength and conditioning and physical therapy—especially freshmen and sophomores, so they have more time to learn to go into the athletic training room and talk to either himself, Prince, or Amanda about getting experience in the field. They offer formal internships in athletic training, as well as strength and conditioning, and they offer informal internships in physical therapy.

“Just show interest and show up. Come in and talk to us. You can get out of here anything you want to get as far as an experience goes. The program is low stress, enjoyable, and shows students what the field is all about,” said Paddack.

There is an interview process, and the hours are worked into your schedule. You can get hours from doing everything in every aspect of the athletic training job from administrative, to strength and conditioning, to rehabilitation, or clinical work.

“It’s a cool field. It’s not a field you’re going to get rich at, but it’s a field where you love coming to work every day. There’s always something new, different, and exciting. There’s nothing routine about any given day,” said Paddack.

To chat with Mike, Prince, and Amanda visit them at the Field House, building 902, at 4111 Second Avenue Seaside, California 93955.